Vehicle

2006 Volkswagen Rabbit 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)

Review

I've owned this car for about five months and since then I've put on 8,000 trouble-free miles. It's a solid car with enough power for daily driving and its interior build quality is far nicer than many cars in its price class. The rear hatch is somewhat smaller than my previous generation Golf, but VW made up for it by providing a roomier backseat. For the price, the standard safety features, power/heated seats, sunroof, and electronic stabilization are hard to beat.

Best Features

I like the high quality interior plastics and lots of soft-touch plastics. It has a great peppy (though not fast) engine. The 6-speed automatic is smooth and relaxed under most driving conditions.

Worst Features

The 6-disc "premium" sound system is sorely lacking. Both the head unit and speaker placement result in poor sound imaging. I ended up spending an extra $900 to install an aftermarket sound system in the car. The gas mileage is mediocre at best, and I get about 100 miles less per tank than in my old Golf.